Who Controls the Bar?

This is a short post about a technical vertical jumps situation.  It’s all about, “who controls the bar”.  It happened twice in two days, first in a collegiate high jump (under NCAA rules) and then, the next day in a high school pole vault competition (NFHS rules).  

How should officials handle the single remaining jumper/vaulter who is NOT the technical winner, yet?

Here’s the  high jump situation:

                        1.87     1.92     1.97     2.00     2.03     2.06     2.09     2.12     2.14

Matt                P          P          O         P          XO       P          P          O         XXX

Brady              O         O         XO       P          O         XXX      

After Brady went out at 2.06, Matt wanted to know where he could set the bar.  But, Matt was NOT the event winner (yet).  If he went out, Brady was the winner (less attempts at last cleared height, 2.03).  The bar had to be set at the next increment (designated by the Games Committee). Matt determined to Pass that height, and move onto the next designated increment of 2.12.  

By the way, as he was not the winner yet, he only had 90 seconds to make his attempt at 2.12 (NCAA). Only after he cleared that height was he the actual winner, and then controlled the bar.   He then had three minutes per attempt at his chosen height of  2.14.

The next day, a similar situation happened in the pole vault.

                        9-0       9-06     10-0     10-06   11-0     11-06   12-0

Amy                 P          P          P          O         P          XXO     XXX

Rebecca           O         O         O         O         XXX

Rebecca went out at 11-0, and Amy passed to 11-6.  Amy was NOT the event winner (yet).  If she failed to clear 11-6, she and Rebecca would be tied, and in a “vault-off” situation. 

So Amy’s three attempts at 11-06 had  a 3 minute time limit.  

Had Amy failed on her third attempt at 11-6, then the vault-off would begin at 11-0, with each vaulter getting a single attempt at that bar (both clear – 11-3, both miss, 10-9, 3” until completion).  Amy did get “control of the bar” after her 11-6 clearance, and chose 12-0 as her next height.  She had 5 minutes for each of her attempts at that height.

The “moral of the story” – an athlete only gets the “right” to control the bar height, and the “right” of the maximum time for attempts, when they are the actual event winner.  Until them, the heights are determined by the Games Committee designated increments, and the time limits are based on the “2 or 3 competitors” remaining time.